Mr Govament, how you setting us up?
Published:Monday | February 17, 2025 | 9:43 AM
THE EDITOR, Madam:
Whether you love or hate him, Donald Trump is taking bold, decisive actions to protect what he sees as United States’ best interest. He moves with a certainty that his people come first. And it makes me wonder – who is moving with that kind of will for us, the young people of Jamaica?
Back in the 1990s, we either decided – or had the decision made for us – that Jamaica would fully integrate into the global economy. But fast-forward to 2025, and what has that really meant for us? Our capital still flows outwards. Our industries still bow to foreign giants. Our businesses, if they manage to start, struggle to scale. The money we generate, the sweat of our people, still benefits someone else more than it benefits us. That sounds like dependency.
As a young person maybe my perspective is limited. But what I do know is that if the Government wants young people to be invested in this country’s future, then they need to provide tangible proof that we are being positioned to take ownership of it. Not just as workers. Not just as consumers. But as owners, decision-makers, and economic powerhouses.
How are you setting us up, Mr Govament? To be lovers, fighters, guardians, decision-makers, and economic powerhouses in our own country? Or just spectators, while others control what should be ours? It’s one thing to tell young people to be patriotic, to “believe in Jamaica”. But belief alone can’t buy land.
Love alone can’t secure investment. Hope alone won’t build industries. What systems are in place to ensure that young Jamaicans own and control the wealth of this country? How is the Government ensuring that we aren’t just watching opportunities pass us by, while a select few and foreign investors scoop up all the real power? This shouldn’t just be a political talking point; this has to be a national mission. A country where its own people don’t have a firm grip on its economy is not a country moving forward – it’s a country being carried along by others, at their mercy. The young people of Jamaica deserve better.
We deserve a real incubator for ownership, not just lip service about ‘youth entrepreneurship’. We need a system that actually backs us – access to land, access to funding, policies that don’t just favour the already-rich. We need the means to build generational wealth right here, within our borders. How are you setting us up, Mr Govament?
DONTAE MINTO